The Forgotten Addams
by shegoismyfav
Summary: There is an Addams that we have never heard of. Why? Because she is an Addams, but not an Addams at the same time...
1. Meet Midnight

Midnight and Wednesday were best friends. They had known each other a little before school, since Midnight lived just down the street from the Addams'. They had only had one play date before her parents freaked out about the Addams' and forbid her from going there ever again. It was more out of spite than anything, really. You see, Midnight's parents hadn't wanted her.

They named her Midnight, not because they loved the time, but because they said it symbolized what she was to them. Blackness, as black as her soul, as black as the hatred they felt for her. She was abused from an early age, though they were always careful to never leave a print where anyone could see it. The only time she had felt happy was when she was playing with Wednesday Addams. Though her parents were frightened by the Addams adults, the real reason she couldn't go back was that they didn't like how well she and Wednesday got along.

She didn't see Wednesday again until their first day of school. She was dressed in a pale yellow dress, faded and old, that she had found in the attic. Makeup carefully concealed any bruises on her arms and legs, as the dress was sleeveless and knee length. It clashed horribly with her pale skin, the result of being locked inside, and her dark brown hair, which grew darker every day. She kept to herself, and by lunch she was dubbed as a loser.

No one would talk to her even if she would have wanted them to. Except Wednesday. From the first, the young girl was known to be vicious. Everyone avoided her like the plague. Midnight couldn't be certain if Wednesday remembered her from their brief friendship years prior, or if she was just odd enough to be accepted.

Either way, they hit it off. They discussed torture, weapons, and other violent things. As the weeks passed, the girls grew closer. Finally, one day close to Halloween, Wednesday invited Midnight over for a play date. Midnight took to the Addams' immediately.

Instead of quivering in fear when she saw Lurch, she simply followed Wednesday past him and into the spacious front hall. She loved the mansion, and wasted no time in telling her friend. When Morticia offered them a snack, which consisted of blood and bats' wings, she accepted and enjoyed it, finding it far better than the table scraps she usually received. They were impressed, and told her guests normally refused the food. They spent the afternoon "playing" with Pugsley, Wednesday's baby brother.

Night fell, and Midnight grew scared to go home. When Gomez offered to walk her home, she refused. It was bad enough that she had been gone so long, it would be even worse if she showed up with Gomez Addams as an escort. Besides, he was a man, and she didn't trust men. After a hug from Morticia, whom she did trust, and a promise to be back on Halloween, she headed home.

Her parents showed no mercy when she got home. She had scarcely deposited her backpack on the floor when she was grabbed by the ponytail. Her mother and father took turns yelling awful curses and insults at her, reinforcing each statement with a blow. By the time they left her in peace, she had several large bruises shaped like hands, some shallow cuts, at least one large gash that should probably have had stitches, and a black eye. She limped up to her room and cried, wishing with all her heart that she had a family like Wednesday's.

It was Halloween when Wednesday noticed the bruises. Midnight thought she had concealed them all under her witch's makeup, but she must have missed a few. So she told Wednesday about her parents and made her swear not to tell. As the weeks went by, the more time she spent at the Addams', and the worse the abuse got.


	2. Secrets Revealed

"What game do you want to play today?" Wednesday asked as she and Midnight climbed out of the family car.

"Hide and seek in the cemetery?"

"Okay!"

"Hello girls," Morticia greeted when they entered the house to drop off their backpacks. "How was school?"

"Fine," they said in unison before scurrying out the back door.

"Last one to Aunt Melancholia's grave is it!" Wednesday called over her shoulder.

Midnight won easily. All those years of running from her parents paid off. They played until the sun set, and they only stopped then because Morticia called them in for dinner.

"Well who won?" she asked as they entered.

"Midnight," Wednesday grumbled.

The child in question beamed at her friend. As dinner progressed, the girls became animated in their tales of pranks pulled on students and teachers alike. Gomez and Morticia smiled proudly at the children.

"-and then, I swear I thought Ms. Apple was gonna have a heart attack! Oh, and when the blade swung down! You should have been there, Mommy-" Midnight stopped dead, realizing her slip. The table went silent, even the food stopped growling. "I'm sorry, Morticia. I...I didn't mean to-"

"Nonsense Midnight, there was no harm done. It was just a simple slip of the tongue." And the sparkle in her eye suggested she wouldn't mind if she did it again.

Midnight blushed and ducked her head. She caught Wednesday's eye, and seemed to say _I wish she __**was**__ my mother. _Wednesday gave an imperceptible nod of her head, her way of agreeing with her. After dinner, when Wednesday and Midnight were lying on the floor in front of Morticia's chair doing their homework, Midnight let out a huff of frustration.

"I hate reading!" She didn't know it, but some of the blows to the head over the years caused her to be a little slow when learning. "Some words sound the same, and others are just impossible to pronounce!"

Morticia, used to such displays by this point, calmly set down her knitting and patted her lap. "Come here and let's see what we can do." Still sulking, the child climbed onto the matriarch's lap. "Now, what are you having trouble with?"

"This sentence. The...bull...pl...plooed to...to...see? It's impossible!"

Morticia read the sentence to herself. The bull ploughed toward the matador. "The bull ploughed toward the matador. Now say it with me slowly."

"The...bull...pl-owed...toe-ward...the...mat-a-doo r." Midnight beamed up at the pale woman. "I did it! Thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome, sweetheart," she responded, running a hand through dark brown locks. She didn't miss the flinch as she did so, either.

"Mommy?" Wednesday called from the floor. "Can Midnight spend the night?"

"Well I don't see why not."

Midnight paled. "Oh no, that's all right. It would worry my parents if they didn't know where I was." She didn't miss her friend's incredulous look as she lied. "Besides, I don't have any clothes with me."

"Well, if you're sure," Morticia said doubtfully. She had her suspicions about Midnight's home life. There was the flinch, not to mention that she avoided Gomez at all costs. They had both noticed, but didn't want to push the issue. "Maybe some other time."

"Yeah, some other time," she agreed before scrambling off her lap and hurriedly leaving.

Her parents were drunk when she arrived. This was not a good situation for her to be in, as they were always rougher when they drank.

"Where the hell have you been?" Alex, her mother, slurred at her.

"A-at a fr-friend's," she stuttered, fearful of her mother.

"A-at a fr-friend's," Alex mimicked her. "You little piece of shit! You have no friends! You're lying! Now where were you, you little bitch?!"

Midnight barely dodged the beer bottle that soared past her head. "I'm telling the truth! I s-swear!"

"You are a waste of space that no one could love! An accident! A mistake! I wish I had just aborted you when I had the chance!"

Midnight felt the tears slide down her cheeks unbidden. It was nothing new to be called unlovable, an accident, but she had never heard her mother say she wished she had aborted her. Unfortunately, she knew what that was, had seen it happen to her younger brother or sister. And when she asked, her parents, never ones for sugar coating, had flat out told her about abortion. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't see her mother's fist until it connected with her face.

"You little bitch! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Her mother continued to beat her, leaving bruises much too large to be concealed. After about an hour, her father, Matt, stumbled in.

"What did it do now?"

It. She wasn't even a someone to them.

"It disappeared for hours and refuses to tell me where it's been."

"Won't tell, huh? Well, I've got ways to make her talk."

The beating went on for hours. She kept quiet, knowing it would just be worse if she cried out. Ribs were cracked, blood splattered, knots formed. It was well after midnight when they stopped. Her father leaned down and yanked her up by the hair.

She couldn't help it, she cried out. He dislocated her shoulder.

"You know why we named you midnight?" he asked, the scent of whiskey engulfing her. "Because at midnight the world is pitch black, just like your soul. Black, the color of hate and death. We hate you and wish you would die. We never wanted you to begin with."

He dropped her to the floor and staggered to the bedroom. She laid on the ground whimpering quietly for several minutes before finding the strength to stand up. She limped to her bedroom, grabbed her stuffed spider, (a present from Wednesday for Halloween) and ran as fast as she could out of the house. She made it to the Addams' cemetery before she blacked out. She was so close to the mansion she could see Cleopatra through the windows in the conservatory.

As her vision grew darker, she saw someone, someone that looked like a man, coming toward her. She didn't even have time to whimper before she lost consciousness.

…**...**

Midnight woke up in a large unfamiliar bed draped in black silk. It took her a minute, but she saw Morticia, Wednesday, and Gomez staring at her worriedly. Wednesday wouldn't look her in the eye, knowing what happened. Morticia was grasping her husband's hand tightly, worry etched onto her beautiful face.

"Midnight, sweetheart, what happened?" she asked softly, and it became apparent she had been crying. Midnight only shook her head, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "You can tell us, I promise. We only want to help you. We love you."

She opened her mouth to tell them something, but all that came out were sobs. Surprisingly graceful, Morticia crawled across the bed and carefully wrapped the girl in her arms, mindful of her injuries. She sobbed into her shoulder, years of pent up emotions rushing forth. Finally, after several minutes of crying, she was able to calm down enough to tell her story.

"I was b-born Midnight Obsidian Black on February 14, 1990. My parents are A-Alex and Matthew Black. I was an accident. They didn't want me, and they prove that fact by abusing me every day. I met Wednesday when we were three.

"When my parents saw how well we got along, they decided that I couldn't play with her anymore because it made me happy. They drink, curse and smoke something called weed." Morticia and Gomez shared a shocked and uneasy glance. She held the child a little closer to her chest. "Wednesday noticed the bruises on Halloween after we got back from trick-or-treating.

"I made her swear not to tell. A-and then, when I went h-home tonight, I found my mother drunk." She turned and hid her face in Morticia's chest as she tried to calm down. After a few minutes her tear-streaked face reappeared. "And my m-mother w-wanted to know where I had been.

"She d-didn't even say hello, she just said _'Where the hell have you been?'_ I t-told her I had been at a friends. She said _'You little piece of shit! You have no friends! You're lying! Now where were you, you little bitch?!'_

"I dodged a beer bottle and swore I was telling the truth. Then s-she s-said _'You are a waste of space that no one could love! An accident! A mistake! I w-wish I had j-just a-ab-borted you when I h-had the chance!_"

She broke down in tears again, and Morticia and Gomez looked at each other. Both were angry and shocked that someone had said that to a five year old child. While they loved the dark, creepy, and somewhat different things, they would never even think of saying those things to a child. And while their love making may get a little rough, they never left bruises on one another. No, Gomez and Morticia Addams would never say those things to a child, and would certainly never think to hit one.

"Th-that's n-not a-all," Midnight managed through gasping breaths. Two sets of eyes found her face. "Then my father came in. He asked my mother _'What did it do now?'_ like I wasn't even a person, just a thing! My mother told him I'd disappeared for hours and was refusing to tell her where I'd gone.

"He said he had ways to make me talk." She began to shake as she remembered the intensity of the beating, the anger and fury in her father's eyes, her mother encouraging him to continue. "H-he b-beat me and j-just w-wouldn't stop," she said in a whisper. "It went on for hours. When he finally stopped he jerked me up by my hair.

"I couldn't help it, I yelped. He dislocated my shoulder. That's why I try to stay quiet. Then he asked me if I knew why they named me midnight. He answered himself.

"_'Because at midnight the world is pitch black, just like your soul. Black, the color of hate and death. We hate you and wish you would die. We never wanted you to begin with.' _I'm scared to go back.

"This was the worst beating yet. I'm afraid next time he'll kill me."

The room was dead silent as the whole story sank in. Wednesday looked ashamed, Morticia livid yet sad at the same time, and Gomez was just plain livid.

"Well what are we sitting around for?!" he yelled, causing Midnight to flinch. "We need to call the police! Go over there! Do _something_!"

"No! Don't do that! My parents would never give me up, they like their punching bag too much. If you report them, they'll get me and leave and then no one will know what's been happening to me!"

She had been very brave all evening, but fear for herself had finally taken root and she was beginning to act like the scared little girl she was.

"Sweetie, don't you want to get away from them?" Morticia asked softly.

"Yes, but like I said, they wouldn't willingly hand me over. Besides, who's going to want an abused, emotionally scarred kid? A kid that jumps at sudden movement and flinches when she's touched? Who'd be willing to help me? No one, that's who."

"That's not true, we want you. Don't we Cara Mia?" Gomez asked, his tone suggesting it was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, very much so. Midnight we're going to do everything we can to get you away from those horrible people. But it may take awhile, okay?"

"Okay."


	3. Closer Than Before

'It may take awhile' turned out to be longer than anyone thought. The months passed, with no change. But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's go back to the night she was found...

Midnight settled back against Morticia as the intense discussion came to an end. Gomez was clearly unsatisfied with the arrangement. Midnight shifted, and winced as she felt her shoulder. Someone, most likely Lurch, had popped it back into place. It was still tender, and she hissed in pain as she moved it.

She began taking stock of her other injuries. Stitches lined her left forearm to her shoulder. That would be where the broken glass had slashed her then. A heavy bandage was wound around her torso, meaning ribs had been broken, which was nothing new. Hand shaped bruises had appeared along her arms and more were forming.

There were several band-aids across her legs where her father had ground glass into them. There was a large knot on her head that she could feel without touching it. She simply sighed as she ended her assessment. What had really scared her was the use of glass. Matt had never done that to her before. Everything else was normal, she just wondered how she was going to explain that to the teacher the next morning.

The Addams' watched the small girl with growing discomfort. She didn't appear to be fazed by her extensive injuries, leading them to believe this had happened with such intensity before. Morticia, always the leader, spoke up.

"Midnight, has this happened before?"

"Oh yeah, lots of times."

The raven beauty cringed at the news. "Do you have other marks or scars?"

"Sure. I suppose you want to see them?" Morticia nodded slowly, unsure if that was what she truly wanted. "If you'll help me with my shirt..."

Slowly, the aforementioned piece of clothing was slipped off. A collective gasp filled the room at the sight of her back. Pale skin was marred with scars and bruises alike. Some scars were fresh and pink, and appeared deep. Others were older, in varying degrees of purple and white.

The bruises ranged from older ones, which were a sickly shade of green, to fresh black and blue.

"Oh God," Morticia whispered in horror, for the first time feeling her stomach flip. She turned her head and buried her face in her husband's shoulder.

"Those people aren't fit to have a pet rock, much less a child," Gomez commented quietly.

"Daddy, I'm sorry I didn't tell sooner," Wednesday whispered, on the verge of tears.

"It's okay, Wednesday. You were just keeping a promise to a friend. Come on Tish, help me get the shirt back on her."

All four of them, Midnight, Morticia, Wednesday and Gomez, slept together in the big bed. Gomez couldn't touch Midnight without her flinching, so she slept on the far side of the bed beside Morticia with Wednesday in the middle. Morticia sat up most of the night, her real daughter and husband on the the left, her pseudo-daughter on her right. Her little family, all together. And in that moment, she vowed to do whatever it took to get her child away from her abusive parents.

Morning dawned, and the children were roused and dressed for school. With her hair braided (courtesy of Morticia) and in a black dress, she could pass for Wednesday's twin. Morticia carefully applied makeup over bruises and cuts. With a hug from her and a wave to Gomez, they were off to school.

"Gomez," Morticia said as she watched the car drive down the driveway. "Do you think we'll be able to save her?"

He sighed. "I don't know, Tish. I don't know."

…**..**

Midnight had to go home after school, already knowing that her parents would be furious at her for having left the night before. She was lucky—they weren't home when she arrived. She quickly went to her room and locked the door, hoping that they would be too drunk when they got back to realize she was home. It was dusk when she heard them. They bumped into things, and she heard the curses that followed and cringed.

Light footfalls wobbled past her bedroom, and she knew her mother had missed the signs that she was home. She relaxed a little, but tensed immediately when her father stumbled into her door.

"Shit. Why is this thing locked?" he slurred.

The doorknob began to rattle, and she darted into her closet. But she forgot to move her book-bag. Apparently fed up, Matt kicked the door down. Midnight stifled a gasp and huddled down further into her clothes.

Matt saw the book-bag. "Miiiidniiiiight, I know you're in here. I found your crap. Now, be a good girl and come to daddy." She remained frozen, her father's voice sending chills down her spine. "Now, you worthless bitch!" he yelled, finally losing his patience.

Still, she stayed hidden. He began ripping the room apart trying to find her. She heard things shatter and crack. Suddenly, it grew silent and she thought she was safe. Then the closet doors flew open.

"There you are, you little fuck-up!" he hissed. "Thought you could hide from me, did you? Well, you're wrong!"

Midnight screamed, and the world went black.

** ….**

She woke up hours later. Her head throbbed, and there was blood everywhere. The stitches in her left arm had been ripped out, leaving a gaping hole where skin had previously been. There were more cuts lining her arms and legs, and she could see pieces of jagged glass sticking out of her skin. Slowly, she rose to her feet and listened hard.

The house was silent, save the snores of her father, who had finally passed out. She tip-toed as best she could down the hall and out the door. Shutting the door with only a slight creak of the hinges, she turned and limped toward the mansion. She waited until she was at the foot of the driveway to call for help. The wound on her arm had opened back up and blood was steadily streaming down her arm.

It was Lurch who found her. He heard her shouting, and opened the door to investigate. His eyes grew wide and he uttered a terrified "Mr. and Mrs. Addams!" before rushing to the girl's aid. By the time he had reached her, Midnight was on her knees and her vision was growing fuzzy. Gomez and Morticia, hearing Lurch's panicked tone, followed to see the trouble.

Morticia's eyes widened when she realized what the bundle Lurch was carrying was. Somehow, she managed to break into a run. Gomez was not far behind.

"Lurch! Lurch! Let me see her!" She gasped as she saw the bloody wound. "Gomez! Call a doctor!"

He turned to do as bid, every bit as worried as she. Her hand found the top of Midnight's head.

"Midnight, darling, don't worry, everything is going to be fine," she said in a reassuring tone, despite her own panic and fear, while stroking her hair.

The naturally pale girl was growing paler by the second. Her eyes fluttered open and took in Morticia's hazy form.

"Am I gonna die?" she asked in a whisper.

Morticia bit back the forming lump in her throat. "No baby, you're not going to die."

Midnight gave the anxious woman a tiny smile even as her world went black and sound faded away.


	4. Alive

There was no pain there, no sound, no fear. Only inky blackness. She liked this place, wanted to stay forever. But the longer she lingered there, the more she picked up a pressure on her head and hand. And slowly, the darkness began to fade and light began to take its place.

With the light came pain, white-hot and blinding. If she hadn't been unconscious already, Midnight would have fainted from the explosion of pain. She began to register voices above her, two male and one feminine. The voices were muffled, so she couldn't make out all of the words. But she got the feeling they were discussing her.

With great effort, she forced her eyes open a crack. She found herself cradled in Morticia's lap, Gomez and a man nearby.

"...be all right won't she?" Gomez was asking the man.

"Nothing a bit of rest won't fix. Well, that along with her medicines."

"You're positive?" Morticia asked, the icy edge to her voice promising immense pain and suffering if he was wrong.

"Yes, Mrs. Addams, I'm positive."

"Good. Thank you, Doctor. Lurch, show the man out."

Midnight chose this opportunity to shift around, and coughed a little, trying to loosen her throat so she could speak. Both Gomez and Morticica's eyes snapped to her. She tried to sit up, but decided against it when her entire body protested. She opted instead to lay back down on Morticia's lap.

"I guess I'm not dead, huh?" she said weakly, attempting to lighten the mood.

"That's my girl," Gomez said with a weak smile. "Always with the black humor."

Midnight felt a hand running through her hair. It felt good, and screamed safety. She looked at her arm, which was heavily bandaged over the stitches. Her legs resembled a rag doll with all the lines of stitches that criss-crossed them. There was a bandage at the base of her head, and probably some stitches as well.

And if how bad she felt was any indication, she probably looked ten times worse. Gomez tried to lay his hand on top of hers. On reflex, she flinched and turned over so that her face was buried in Morticia's stomach. She whimpered as she moved, the several hundred stitches across her body pulling at already tender flesh. Morticia gently rolled her onto her back, and her cool hands felt amazing to the young girl, whose skin was slightly warm.

Morticia held her hand out to Gomez, who handed her a pill bottle in return. She unscrewed the cap, and shook two tiny capsules onto her palm.

"Here Midnight, these will help." She watched the girl swallow and then handed her a glass of water to help the medicine go down. "The doctor sewed up your arm and all your other cuts," she said, allowing bitterness to creep into her voice. "He also found some infection, probably caused by the glass and when the stitches got ripped out."

The effect of the medicine was instantaneous. The pain faded away, and her skin cooled down a little. Whatever it was, it was strong. Her world faded to blackness once again, and she could just make out the melancholy look on Gomez's face. She knew she had hurt him, but she couldn't help it.

…**.**

The next time she woke up Wednesday was beside her on the floor playing with her doll, Marie Antoinette. She sat and watched her for a few moments, the urge to get down and join in almost overwhelming her.

"I'm glad you're awake," Wednesday stated in that monotone way of hers.

"So am I."

"Mommy says you might be staying here from now on." She cut her eyes at her friend. "Is that true? Are you going to be my sister?"

"Well...I-I don't know. I mean, if they can get me away from my parents then yes. But in the mean time, I hope I get a lot better at running and hiding."

Midnight's eyes kept darting to Marie Antoinette while she was talking, and Wednesday knew exactly what she was thinking.

"I know what you're thinking, but Mommy said you can't play until the infection goes away. Trust me, I want you to. It's just not as fun to torture Pugsley without your help."

Midnight gave her a small smile, and flipped onto her stomach so she could talk to her friend. They babbled about torture for a while before Morticia and Gomez came in to check on her. Lurch was behind them with a tray. On it was a simple bowl of turtle soup and her medicines. The adults sat on either side of her, and Midnight could tell there was going to be a talk.


End file.
